ASU update: The Sun Devils (43-9, 14-7 Pac 12) lost two of three games at rival Arizona last weekend, blowing late leads in the first two games before making a seventh-inning comeback Sunday to avoid the sweep. … ASU is 33-2 at home this season. … Junior SS Cheyenne Coyle went 4 for 9 with a home run and six RBIs against Arizona. She leads the Pac-12 in runs scored (62) and is second in home runs (18) and RBIs (58). … The Sun Devils are 53-36 all-time against Oregon.

Oregon update: The Ducks (45-7, 18-3) clinched their first Pac-12 championship with a three-game sweep of Oregon State last weekend. … All seven of the team’s losses have come on the road (28-7 overall). … Senior Jessica Moore was named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week after allowing one run and striking out 23 in 17 innings in the Oregon State series and a win against Seattle on May 1. Moore is 24-3 on the season with a 1.53 ERA in 1592/3 innings. … Oregon leads the Pac-12 in team batting average (.344) and ERA (1.58).

By Tyler Killianazcentral sportsWed May 8, 2013 11:22 PM

With the sour taste of a disappointing weekend in Tucson still in their mouths and the Pac-12 championship no longer within their grasp, Arizona State’s players must now turn their focus to finishing the regular season strong and gearing up for what they hope is another long playoff run.

A series loss against Arizona, coupled with Oregon’s sweep of Oregon State, gave Oregon its first Pac-12 title and removed much of the drama from this weekend’s series between the Sun Devils and Ducks.

However, postseason seeding is still on the line, and with ASU (43-9, 14-7 Pac 12) sitting at No. 12 in RPI, taking two or even three games from Oregon (45-7, 18-3 and fourth in RPI) could go a long way toward securing one of the eight home super-regional matchups should the Sun Devils make it out of the regional round.

As with any team, ASU has question marks and issues to be resolved heading down the stretch. The surprise though, is that pitching has been added to the list.

ASU’s staff, led by juniors Dallas Escobedo and Mackenzie Popescue, has long been considered the team’s most dependable component. But against UA, Escobedo and Popescue surrendered 22 runs and twice blew leads in the sixth inning or later.

A rivalry series can always be unpredictable, but ASU pitching coach Chuck D’Arcy was particularly bothered by the high walk totals (15 in three games) and the fact that lately it has been hard to tell what to expect out of his two aces on any given day.

“The name of the game is pitching,” D’Arcy said, “and our pitching has been inconsistent. We’ve had leads in games that we’ve lost, and inconsistency just turns around and haunts us sometimes. Hopefully, that inconsistency will be solved in a short period of time, because we don’t have much time left.”

Against an Oregon team that leads the Pac-12 in batting average (.344 to ASU’s .342), that (lack of) consistency will be tested right from the start. Popescue said Tuesday that the UA series served as a wake-up call, but Escobedo expressed the same sentiment after ASU lost two of three games at Utah three weeks ago.

The common thread is that although ASU has been superb at home (33-2), it becomes merely average when forced to travel. Seven of its nine losses have come away from Farrington Stadium, and it is just 7-6 when playing in an opponent’s park.

That reinforces the urgency of this weekend and the importance of getting that home super regional.

“We’re going to go in way more hungry, honestly, and ready to fight,” Popescue said. “When it comes to seeding, we really do want to host. Everybody wants to host. But in the end, it’s not a home game, it’s not an away game. It’s a softball game. So we’re going to win no matter where we play.”

Selection Sunday

ASU will learn part of its postseason fate Sunday when the NCAA Selection Show is broadcast live on ESPNU at 7 p.m.

The NCAA tournament will begin with 64 teams playing double-elimination regionals May 16-19 at 16 campus sites. From there, 16 teams will advance to the best-of-three super-regional matchups, which will be played May 23-26. Finally, eight teams will move on to the Women’s College World Series, May 30-June 5 in Oklahoma City.

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